Miami Hurricanes quarterback D’Eriq King tore the ACL in his right knee in Tuesday’s Cheez-It Bowl loss to Oklahoma State, the team announced on Thursday.
UM said he is expected back for the start of the 2021 season as he will undergo surgery at the UHealth Sports Medicine Institute at The Lennar Foundation Medical Center.
“A timetable for his return will be determined after surgery but he is expected to be available for the start of 2021 fall camp,” the Miami release said.
“We are obviously disappointed for D’Eriq but we know he is in great hands with our medical staff,” Miami coach Manny Diaz said in a statement. “D’Eriq is the leader of this football team and we know that he will approach his rehabilitation with the same tenacity that he has approached every facet of his game since he arrived on our campus.
“We can’t wait to see him back on the field leading our team in August.”
King has released two tweets since the injury occurred.
First, on Tuesday night after the bowl: “Sometimes I don’t know why but I won’t question him.”
Early Thursday morning, he tweeted: “Thanks for all the texts and calls I’ll be fine!”
King tried to juke a defender while scrambling in the OSU red zone when his knee buckled and he went down with 4:06 remaining before halftime on Tuesday at Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.
King was unable to walk on his own power, helped off the field with the assistance of trainers. He never re-entered Tuesday’s game but was back on the Miami sideline, out of uniform with a brace on his right knee and walking on crutches, cheering on his teammates for much of the second half in the 37-34 loss.
Redshirt junior backup N’Kosi Perry entered in relief and threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-34 passing.
On the season, King threw for 2,686 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions, adding 538 rushing yards and four more touchdowns on the ground.
King, on Saturday, announced his intention to return to the Hurricanes for a sixth college season, utilizing the extra year of college eligibility all football players are being granted by the NCAA due to the 2020 season being played amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before his time at Miami, King also tore the meniscus in the same knee late in the 2018 season at Houston, a year in which he accounted for an American Athletic Conference (AAC) record 50 touchdowns.
